Former Liverpool stalwart Steve McMahon made some choice comments about current midfielder Jay Spearing during halftime as Liverpool hosted Newcastle United.

As a pundit for ESPN he stated that the youngster was "not a premiership player, let alone a Liverpool player."

Such comments came in the aftermath of an opening half where the two sides went in at 1-1, and with Liverpool continuing to find themselves lacking in front of goal. Dalglish had made a decision to have five holding midfielders with Carroll alone in attack.

In a game where Jordon Henderson and Charlie Adam subsequently faded somewhat in a packed centre of the field, the comments from McMahon seemed harsh on a more visible player so young into his career.

Jay Spearing has had a stop-start opening to his time at Anfield. However he has gained some credible attention for his gritty style of play and in his determination to win the ball.

Where the likes of John Flanagan and Jack Robinson have become permanently relegated to bench warmers at best, it is Spearing who is fighting for a first team spot.

His sending off against Fulham was unfortunate, but the event could mark a positive learning curve in his growth.

With injuries sustained in the midfield he has evidently gained the backing of Kenny Dalglish. The Liverpool manager portrayed this belief by naming Spearing in the starting lineup against league rivals Newcastle.

His passion was evident for all to see, as only seconds after a horror studded kick from Yohan Cabaye—which left him in agony on the ground—he was up and running as if nothing had occurred.

Throughout the game he made intuitive passes which sought to create opportunities. To prove McMahon further wrong he then played a wonderful pass into Steven Gerrard in the final minutes to set up Liverpool's third and final goal.

By no means was he man of the match, but at least he made a positive contribution to the final scoreline.

Whilst Spearing may lack the overall package at this moment in time, he does certainly possess some much welcomed attributes to the Liverpool squad.

It would be admirable to see if Steven Gerrard can become a positive influence on the youngster, especially as the skipper's emergence in the second half seemed to spur on the entire team, including Spearing.

By no stretches of the imagination do I see Spearing as a non-premier league player, as should many others. Instead there are some impressive foundations to build upon, and ones that could lead to a successful and continuous run of games in the starting 11.